SUMMARY
- A Ryanair flight from Faro to Belfast had to make an emergency landing after one of its tires shredded during takeoff. All 190 passengers were unharmed.
- The flight, FR9561, dumped fuel over Faro Bay before returning to the airport. It was the most tracked flight on Flightradar during the incident.
- The tire was replaced, causing a significant delay for the flight back to Belfast. It finally departed at 18:30, arriving over ten hours later than scheduled.
Faro Airport was a hive of emergency activity on Sunday when a Ryanair flight destined for Belfast, Northern Ireland, was forced to return and complete an emergency landing after it was reported one of its tires shredded as the aircraft took off. The flight, FR9561, was carrying approximately 190 passengers and could land safely without incident.
The Boeing 737-800 aircraft reportedly dumped fuel over the Faro Bay before returning to the airport around an hour after departure. According to Flightradar, the flight was the most tracked on the platform during the dilemma. Reports have also appeared on Twitter, showing the alleged shredded tire:
Ryanair flight FR9561
Ryanair flight FR9561 was scheduled to operate a direct service between Faro International Airport (Gago Coutinho Airport) (FAO) and Belfast International Airport (BFS) in Northern Ireland. The service, on October 29th, departed ten minutes behind its scheduled departure time of 07:40, having rattled down the runway at 07:50. The aircraft was expected to arrive in Belfast at 10:50. Evidence from Flightradar24 shows the aircraft had made its way halfway towards Lisbon, before returning to Faro and circling over the area for an hour, before touching down around 09:14.
Source: Flightradar24
Multiple emergency vehicles rushed to the airport in light of the situation and were awaiting the aircraft eagerly on the apron, awaiting the aircraft safe landing as a precaution. Ryanair released a statement in regards to the flight:
“This flight from Faro to Belfast returned to Faro Airport shortly after take-off due to a tech issue with the aircraft. The aircraft landed normally at Faro Airport but then experienced a minor tire issue on the runway. Passengers disembarked normally and returned to the terminal while Ryanair quickly arranged for a replacement aircraft to operate the flight, which departed for Belfast at 18.18 local.”
It appears that the tire was replaced on the aircraft before the delayed service headed for Northern Ireland. According to Flightradar24, the delayed flight was initially scheduled to depart at 17:15, and was finally airborne at 18:30. The revised arrival time to Belfast was then 19:55; however, it only touched down at 20:58. The aircraft was then scheduled to operate a positioning flight to Dublin shortly after 00:45+1 local time.
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Boeing 737-800 EI-EVK
The aircraft in question, an 11.7-year-old Boeing 737-800, first took flight on February 24, 2012, and started regular commercial service for the ultra-low-cost carrier on March 13. The aircraft is configured with 189 economy seats and powered by two CFMI CFM56-7B26 engines. The aircraft holds the registration EI-EVK, with serial number 40291.
Have you ever been involved in a flight with a burst tire? What is the longest flight delay you have ever experienced? Let us know in the comment.s
Sources: Airfleets, Flightradar24, Portugal Resident, Belfast Live
